QA: Project Dukhan (Day 2)

Luckily the day 2 sales started at 3pm. And this gave us the whole Friday morning to prepare the food. In the morning, the time was devoted to prepare "Roti John" ingredients, bihun and sambal for Nasi Lemak. Although SK has to work today, he did join us around 5pm with AI. So, leaving me and Zal to prepare all these while NZ joined us after Friday prayer. KM came just before we left for Dukhan. There were lots of visitors today and majority of our customers were Malaysians longing for nasi lemak and "Roti John". To the foreigners, we introduced "Roti John" as Malaysian Kebab :-). Else, it will be a bit difficult to explain what it is.

We put up our menu in Malay with a translation in English. However, couple of the menu were not translated and one of them was "Roti Jala". The funniest translation of "Roti Jala" that I heard was "Fishing Net Bread".. ROFL.... It was translated by one fellow Malaysian to his foreign friend.

The Malaysian group performed "Dikir Barat" which I missed to watch it. Heard they won an award for the performance. Congratulations!

Same goes to Mrs. KAZ and Mrs. J for winning a title each in the cooking competition.

In fact the whole day was filled with enjoyment and fun. It was a tiring day, but at the end, I feel worth it...

Stuff for Day 2











Sales in progress












~ MT @ Qat4r
~~ Dukhan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Project Dukhan (Day 1)

Since my working time on weekdays is from 8am till 5pm, on this Day 1 of Project Dukhan I have requested to leave early. I still have to clock 8 hours a day - which means I have to skip lunch in order for me to leave office at 4pm.

Rushed back home and changed into the "uniform", picked up some stuff that Zal and SK have asked me to bring and drove to Dukhan. Within an hour, reached Dukhan - the road is terrible. The highway is still under construction - by our very own G4muda W-C-T joint venture. So, you cannot really go beyond 100km/h unless you dont really care about your car. Potholes are everywhere.

Reached there after Maghrib and KM, Shah & Dom were already there. Same with NZ, Zal and SK. Shah & Dom helped us bringing some stuff and decorating the stall. Thanks a bunch guys... MR also came to help us - selling her home made donut :-)

Menu for the day includes Nasi Lemak, Roti Jala, Air teh bunga (kekwa), keropok ikan, bahulu, karipap and home-made donut.

Majority of the crowds are local people. Not much sales but our teh bunga has its own attraction. This is something new for some of them.

By 9.30pm, we started to pack things for the day. We had another long nite today to prepare for tomorrow. Nasi Lemak need to be cooked, bihun need to be fried and roti john ingredients need to be prepared.

Definitely going to be a tiring and hectic weekend.

Enjoy some photos on the first day.....

~ MT @ Q4tar

~~ Dukh4n

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Project Dukhan - Sneak Preview

After few days of planning, Project Dukhan is going to be materialised... soon :-) Couple of days of late night sleep and driving hear and there looking for stuff, we finally come to the end of planning. Now, entering the implementation stage :-))

Let's enjoy the sneak preview of Project Dukhan....

~ MT @ Qatar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: For the soul.....

I received this in my email.

A simple man tells how his booking an air ticket for his father, his first flight, brought emotions and made him realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents. My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on MAS.

The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things. As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if
I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me. But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life.

As a child how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for football, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability,they have satisfied to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us?

Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children,the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too. Take care of ur parents.

The above may sounds like those stories in Chicken S0up for the S0ul, it may be true, it may not. However, the important thing there is the lesson portrayed in the story. I can relate the above to my very own experience. Just last night, I called my dad and he was so excited telling me that he and my mum have just received their international passports. My dad was explaining how easy the process to apply for the passports. Only one day. Due to the fact they did theirs in my hometown, it was even easier. Not crowded at all. Even though you cannot see the face, you can actually "hear" the happiness and excitement over the phone. The tone of voice reveals it all. For my mum, this is her first international passport. She never have one as she never been overseas. Except when she went for Hajj couple of years back and that was using special passport. My dad used to travel to U-Kay once during his stint with the government. And that was it.

So, mum & dad, I will bring you somewhere outside Malays1a one day for vacation. See both of you next week :-) Miss you.....

~ MT @ Q4tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: 5th Dukhan Annual Cultural and Handicraft Exhibition

To all readers in Qat4r, don't forget this weekend......

5th Dukhan Annual Cultural and Handicraft Exhibition on 29-31 March 2007, at Dukhan Recreation Centre, in Dukhan.

Jumpa di sana! See you there!

~ MT @ Qat4r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Doha Festival

D0ha Festival kicked off last Wednesday. On Friday afternoon, Zal, SK, RK and myself went to the Desert Heritage Village (a temporary set up near Zal's office to showcase Q4tari culture). According to the schedule, the event at the Desert Heritage Village starts at 4pm daily until the last day of the festival. At the village, there suppose to be horse, camel and falcon show plus citation of Arabic poetry and Rababa (I dont know what this is, but my guess is the traditional Qat4ri dance).

When we got there around past five (just before Maghreb prayer), there was no show at all. There were camels and some traditional tents, and that was it.

Enjoy the photos....

~ MT @ Qat4r
~~ Ibn Mahm0ud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: The Dance

Watched Caracall4 dance last night. It was held at Educati0n City open space Ceremonial Court - which means we were under the moon spell for more than three hours. Consistent with the show theme.. Knights of the M00n. It was pretty cold night. When I saw one Leb4nese lady pulled the chair cover and wrapped it around herself, I did the same too :-)

Compare to our folkdance, ours have more flavour. The Arab1c dances prtrayed in this play were too plain, in my opinion.

Overall, the show was vibrant and energetic. Nothing spectacular about the dance.. just like the gypsy dance. The costume was nice and colourful. And the dancers are beautiful and gorgeous, so did some of the spectators.. hiks..

The dancers...

The show...

Spotted R1z Kh4n over there as well.

Anyway, enjoy the photos (thanks to Zal for some of the photos). I did record some part of the show however, since it is prohibited to record the show, I don't dare to make it public.

~ MT @ Q4tar
~~ Educati0n City, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Travel Plan

Just booked my ticket with EY. Apparently, EY is offering very good fare compare to QR and EK. And the timing is better compare to other two.

These are the aircrafts I will be flying with:

• D0H/AUH/D0H - Airbus A330-200
• AUH/KUL - Boeing 777-300ER
• KUL/AUH - Airbus A340-500

This would be my first time in B777-300 and Airbus A340-500. Looking forward to experience it. :-)

If I stick to my original travel dates, I would have a chance to meet my friend who will be in the B777 cockpit. Am not sure whether he will be in the cockpit on the dates I'll be travelling.

Apa-apa pun, dah tak sabar nak balik ni.... hehehehe....

~ MT @ Q4tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Snap..Snap...

Now, I can continue snapping.... hahahaha.... just invest into a new S0ny camera (although I have not so good experience with S0ny cyber-sh0t with lenses)... original plan is to have this as a temporary only. Let see how long this 'temporary' will last :-))

Snap snap here.. snap snap there .. snap snap left .. snap snap right .. snap snap front .. snap snap back (?)... snap snap every where lah!

~ MT @ Qatar

~~ Ibn Mahm0ud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Sad... Upset... (II)

My project is asking whether I can delay my flight back home for a week... [sigh..]

~ M T @ Q*tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Sad... Upset... (I)

Ya Allah, Give me strength...

~ M T @ Q4tar
~~ Ibn Mahmoud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Hang Out..

Yippee..yippeee... went to Villagi0 last night... the new place to hang out in D0ha.. they have a very nice set up of italian village with gondolas in one part of the mall... there is a bigger Zar4 and H+M just opened... there are also R1ver Isl4nd, V1rgin (you should see how the word V1irgin is written using Ar4bic characters), and Bo0ts (my favourite when I was in UK)... All are first in D0ha. Now you see how lagging D0ha is compare to the neighbours... :-D

looks like to be my new hang out place... :-) well, for a short time.... :-(

~ M T @ Q*tar
~~ S4dd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Dunest0ck

Over the weekend, on Friday, I went to Dunest0ck, a desert version of the W00dstock :-) Went there with Zal & SK. Others were not interested to go. In fact, I don't really like it but for the sake of experience, why not. Been there, done that...huh...

Although the entrance fee was a bit pricey, QAR50 per person, it was a great experience. Majority were caucasians with very minimal Asians and definitely less than 10 Ar4bs wearing dish-dash :-) women in abaya.. err.... definitely not a place for them :-))

Went there after asar, so to have experience the sunset which was around half past five. The event was staged at the Singing Dune. Apparently, you should be able to hear a buzzing sound created by the wind sweeping the sand when you are at a certain coordinate. This is one of the tourist attractions for visitor coming into Q4tar.

Enjoy some photos.. thanks to Zal and SK for the photos. My camera broke down, so until I bought the new one, I have to rely on my two friends for some photos.

~ MT @ Qatar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: I'm Bad

Very very bad mood today... Just yelled at the client... yes.. I yelled/shouted (whatever word u want to use) at them.. all my colleagues were in the room when the volcano erupted!

One of the consulting ethics is you never yelled at your client even you disagree with them... but with this client, sorry dude... I dont give a damn!!! This particular department is looking for million of excuses to delay the work. I guess with all the amount of time spent finding stoopid excuses, if they cooperate with us, we should have completed some of the work! Stooooopid Ar4bs!

Expecting some "feedback" from my management later on or early next week, and hey, if they want to send me back home, I am very happy to oblige...

Sick of my life here - particularly in this pr0ject!

~ M T @ Q*t^r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: :-(

My only digital camera, S0ny DSC-W1 broke down yesterday.... now I am not able to share any pictures in my blog anymore until I fix it or buy a new one.

Sad..sad..sad...

Post Script

Just visited S0ny centre and to get my camera fix, it will cost me QR680.. Whoaaa... very expensive.. I think I better invest in the new camera.

~ MT @ Q4tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Caracalla

Just bought a ticket to watch Caracall4 dance on Tuesday March 20.

http://www.caracalladance.com/

The event is organised by Qat4r F0undation.

Qat4r F0undation is the manifestation of the innovation and creativity of His Highness Sh3ikh Ham4d Bin Khalif4 Al Than1, the Emir of The State of Q4tar. A private, non-profit organization founded in 1995, Qat4r F0undation exemplifies the value and importance His Highness places on education, science and community development. Her Highness Sheikha M0zah Bint Nass3r Al Missn3d, is chairperson of Qat4r F0undation and personally guides the organization with passion, vision and enthusiasm.
Qat4r Foundati0n is very proud to collaborate with the Car4calla Dance Theatre in producing the musical ballet, "Knights of the M0on". Culture is intrinsic to learning and to community: by establishing partnerships with esteemed regional companies such as the C4racalla D4nce Th3atre, Q4tar Foundati0n aims to contribute a wider cultural understanding and insight.
"Knights of the Mo0n" is a tale set in the mysterious East, a fusion of the traditions and distinct heritage of the Ar4b world with broader Q4tari values. Car4calla D4nce Th3atre have created a moving tale that reaches out to all the audience members.

~MT @ Q*tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: A Tale of a Chart

What tale now? I am pretty busy currently, but still got time to blog :-) My job is getting teruk. I am very very surprise for a kerajaan entity in one of the richest countries (if not the richest) has NO, I repeat, NO Chart of Acc0unts. (Or as the newly arrived QS, RES said "Nan Ado" - apa bahasa pulak ni???) It is hard to believe, but it is true.

Right now, I am constructing the Chart of Acc0unts for them based on their verbal feedback (another thing to note, they hate doing documentation even that document is important). Also, I have prepared a document listing all the fees collected (their revenue lah kira-kiranya) by this entity. Every time I asked for the fees schedule, the response is "It's in the law". Yes it is in the law, but it was general. You need to digest it, document it according to your needs and train your Cashiers. Are they expecting all the Cashiers to understand those classical language used in the law? Even myself when reading that law (mind you the translated version has no punctuation at all!!), my head spins! They brush you off everytime we tell them that.

The funny thing is that once we completed the document, they will complaint either the information is incorrect, they don't like it etc.. even though 100% of the information in there comes from them.... giler ke apa ni???

This is just an additional proof for my theory of Ar4bs.... "have money but no brain!"

aarrggghh...... anyway, tonight is a shisha night with couple of friends.... looking forward to it....

~ M T @ Q*tar
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: The Plan..

Spoke to my boss from my office in Sp0re. The plan my office have for me is to get me back to the region by July 1. Which means, by end of June this year, I will roll off this project. It is kind of sad to leave D0ha, since I have made few friends lately. But I am happy to leave this project :-)

If I agree to the plan, I will be in Sp0re as a "local" hire. Need to find my own accomodation, transport etc.. They also told me they will raise my salary arnd xx% so that I can live comfortably in Sp0re. Hard for me to say whether my pay is enough since I need to consider tax and cost of living. As of now, I am not paying any Sp0re tax since I do not fall into any categories defined by IR4S as tax payer.

I really hope to find something between now and end of April. That is when my boss wants my decision. Right now, I don't have much choice, really. My boss even told me that he wants to do a day or two trip from Sp0re to D0ha to talk to the country lead here about me. Wow.. I feel soooo appreciated.. kalau lah betul2 & ikhlas, just gave me what I am asking for... ini tak, comfort me by just give me arnd xx% pay increase... (not that I am not thankful, but I think I deserve more since I have been rated Exceed Expectations for my performance last year...)

Will my life be as shaky as this pix? aarrgghhhhh........

Decision..decision...decision... (again...) :-((


~ M T @ Q4t*r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Makan-Makan (8)

On Friday, we had a makan-makan session at one of our colleagues' apartment, KM. The function was organized by Malaysi4ns working with QK company. Among the delicacies were Sot0 Ay4m, Mee K4ri and B-B-Q lamb chop and chicken wings. The Mee Kar1 was soo good.. better than the one at N0shi-N0shi, Dub4i. :-)

The plan was to have an outdoor B-B-Q, however, for the whole day, D0ha was blanketed with the sand/dust, so we have to halt the plan. Instead, all the lamb chop and chicken wings were grilled using the oven.

Coincidently, the function day was also MR's birthday. The hubby, AI has requested us to have a surprise for his wife. The couple shared another good news with some of us (I thought of having it announced using the loudspeaker, but the couple politely declined it) - in eight to nine months time, they will be having their first baby! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The turn out was as expected, around 25 people. Met few new people, so it sort of achieved the original objective of getting to know more new people :-)

Enjoy some photos......

~ M T @ Qat4r
~~ Sadd, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

QA: Weekend Affairs

Hmmm.... there were lots of things happened during the weekend and few days before that. To summarize, we had a new friend from K U L who just arrived on Wednesday. Then, we had a makan-makan session (yup, eat-eat again to make me fat), a dust/sand storm (well not really a storm) blanketed D0ha and addition to my personal life, I had a short talk with my MD from Sp0re detailing his plan for me (yes, just a short one since he called less than an hour before Friday prayer....).

Will blog about all the above.....

:-)

~ M T @ Qat4r
~~ Ibn Mahm0ud, D0ha

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~